Sunset Falls
by Misguidedscience
Summary: AU. A what-if. SPOILERS FOLLOW... Takane reaches the hospital, only to find her love dead. She reflects on the time she had spent with him, waiting by his side. Takane/Haruka shipping. Rated T for language.


Sunset Falls

Takane screamed. There he was… Haruka. Dead. She wiped a tear from her eye. She never had the chance… She cursed. Screamed at the top of her lungs, obscenities she knew nobody else would hear. She just wanted one chance. One single, stupid goddamned chance to express her feelings. But then… Takane cursed again. Haruka just looked so peaceful. He didn't deserve this. This was too much. If only… If only she had heeded Ayano's advice. Then maybe she could feel complete. But there was a part of her, a beating heart, which was bruised, taking a beating. She looked outside, at the falling sunset, and once again wished that she could just, for one time, come clean to Haruka. It would have been so romantic. Love as the sunset falls. Takane picked up a small stone that she had inadvertently found in her shoe when she was running, and hurled it out of the window, anger forming on her face. She rooted around for her phone, trying to revert to being a headphone actor, but she knew inside that no amount of pretending would stop the tears from falling. Angrily, she wiped them away. She couldn't allow anyone to see her like this. With great intent, Takane locked the door, not willing to show anybody the emotions she actually felt. Regret decorating every single movement, she reached into her bag, pulling out a small satchel of food.

"Haruka… This is for you. When you wake up." Takane smiled, but it quickly faded away due to Haruka's unresponsiveness. Again, she offered him the parcel, her face gradually growing more and more angry.

"Haruka! I offered you food! Don't you want it?" But though if he was alive, Haruka would have surely turned, his body was as motionless as ever. Takane hoped that this was just a cruel joke he was playing on her. But he would never be that heartless. Especially not to her. Never be as mean as she was. She wiped away a tear. She had wanted to be nice to him. She had so desperately wanted to be as kind as she could. But something stopped her. The same set of mixed-up emotions that forbade her from ever telling him what she felt like.

"Haruka! Wake up! Wake up, damn you!" But Haruka's eyelids failed to open, shut, like the door that had closed. Takane stared at the potted plant that was sitting so calmly by the window just above Haruka's head. There was a clock ticking down, and all around Haruka were various medical instruments. Medicine that had failed to save him. Again, Takane's eyes flitted to the plant. She remembered the one time they had a plant in the classroom. Haruka had loved it - he had probably requested this one as well. Takane wiped a tear from her eye as the memories of her class flooded back to her. Of her teacher, Kenjirou. Where was he? He was... He was meant to be looking after Haruka! He had told her what had happened. So why wasn't he here? Takane screamed out more obscenities. After all Haruka had done for them. After the game that they had made. Haruka had spent so long designing the enemies, to cover up Kenjirou's mess. He had seemed so happy, even when finding out the secret about 'Lightning Dancer Ene'. He was always so kind. No matter what Takane had said to him, he took it in his stride. She wasn't sure if he ever felt the same way she did, but she knew that she couldn't stop herself from loving him.

"Haruka... I'm so sorry. I never had the chance to tell you, because of my own stupidity. But I love you..." Takane felt her heart start to scream, writhing in an unmeasurable agony, beyond any sort of human comprehension. A faint voice in her head apologized but she took no heed of it. Desperately, she dropped to the floor, shuffling over to Haruka's bed, clutching his hand.

"Haruka... If you wake up, I will be here. I will not abandon you." More memories flashing through her mind. The day she talked to Ayano. Today. When she finally realized her feelings. If only... If only she was faster. If only her mind was faster at interpreting the messages. Truthfully, she had felt that weird sensation when she had met him in the 'special needs' class. She had been so spiteful, so cruel to him. It was just her armour against being hurt. But he had not cared. Just taken it in his stride. Doodles dashed across Takane's eyes - the funny little sketches of her and Haruka, the images of their classroom. All were fading now. The shooting gallery and Haruka's cheerfulness as Takane won again and again. That was fading too. Takane just wanted to hold on, clutch on to the dying reminiscence that was tauntingly floating out of her reach.

"Hey, Haruka. Remember the time you made that shooting gallery?" Empty words. Words stupidly wasted on a cold corpse, dead and unmoving.

"Haruka? Remember! You made that shooting gallery! I was 'Lightning Dancer Ene'. Why won't you remember?" Takane's voice started to crack, as her hold on Haruka's hand tightened. For a moment she imagined a voice replying 'Yes. Yes I do.' But that was a hallucination. She was alone. She let go of Haruka's hand, angrily dropping it to the side of the bed. As she prepared to stand up, the faint sound of footsteps came from the white hospital hall outside of Haruka's room. Takane was briefly concerned, but knew that it would just be a nurse, doctor or some other stupid medical staff getting on with their life and jobs, oblivious and uncaring to the tragedy that was happening in this very room. She wanted to hit them. Make them see what had happened. Takane didn't care how many people she had to punch. She just wanted them to understand how important Haruka was. Why didn't they care? Why did nobody seem to care? Takane felt like her heart was a ticking bombshell, ready to explode in all emotions possible. She just wanted somebody to know how important Haruka was. How much he meant. To her. Because... Because she loved him, goddamn it! And the thought of him just dying alone. Why did nobody give a damn about him? Takane wanted to scream. Her voice felt like it had been ripped apart. She just wanted him to be fine. Then they could live happy together. It seemed that he felt that way about her, so why couldn't this be? Why did he have to die? Shaking uncontrollaby, Takane reached into her bag, a small sketch in her hand. She had kept it secretly, though giving the illusion that she had torn it up. But all along, she had kept it. And now it was time to return it to her owner. Hiding her face, she placed it upon Haruka's unmoving chest, watching forlornly at his still, relaxed face. Even in death, he was as calm as ever. As loving and as gentle as he had always been.

"Haruka... Goodnight, Haruka. Maybe one day we'll meet each other again. And then I'll show you." As Takane prepared to get up, she heard another noise. The turning of a key. The opening of a door. What the hell? The door was locked from the inside. There was no key to get in was there? Takane didn't know. Swallowing, she froze, unable to move as the door creaked shut.

"Ken...Kenjirou? What the..." Takane blinked, before clenching her fists. "What the hell? What the actual goddamned hell, you uncaring, callous asshole? I hate you! I hope you rot in a fire, you monstrous bastard!" Takane felt all the anger she had felt at Haruka's death, all the hatred and rage that she had felt at herself boil over, merging into her words. "What the hell is wrong with you, you stupid dumb whore? I hope you die, you bitch! You douchebag! You just left Haruka to fucking die! Why?" Takane felt the terrible hatred start to bubble away. "Why the hell did you do it? Why would you do that?"

"Easy, Takane. I know you're upset. But I had to fetch this."

"What the... What the hell is that?"

"It's a device. To help Haruka."

"He's already fucking dead. It doesn't even goddamned matter anymore. Because he is dead. A corpse! Why didn't you help him sooner? If you... If you could just have given one crap about him. If somebody in this whole goddamned hospital had just given one crap about him, then maybe he wouldn't have had to die alone!"

"Takane... Please, calm down."

"Calm down? Why the hell would I do that? I loved him! I loved him, Kenjirou, and now he is dead. D-E-A-D!" Takane felt tears falling down her cheek, but she didn't care anymore. She was practically choking upon her words. She just wanted Kenjirou to do something, to bring back Haruka. But nothing would save him. Nothing would ever let Takane admit to Haruka her feelings. She had one chance, and she blew it. The sunset had fallen. The happy days were over.

"Don't worry, Takane. He isn't dead. He should come back." Takane laughed.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you completely fucking insane?"

"Shh... Just let me help." Takane regarded Kenjirou with scorn. The time she had spent with Haruka... It was now over. Though her heart was screaming in utter agony, she knew that it was all over. No more doodles. No more games. No more spending time with him in the 'special class'. She was now alone. Her love had disappeared. She had loved him, but he had died without knowing that. Without knowing if Takane had reciprocated his feelings. Because she knew what he felt. And that just made it so much worse.

"You can't help. Nobody can help."

"Don't worry, Takane. I can..." Kenjirou just left the hospital room, leaving a device behind. Takane just snorted, turning back to Haruka, shedding one final tear, looking at her love, dying upon his bed. If only he was sleeping, if only one kiss could wake him up. But Takane knew it wouldn't. Regretfully, she took one step towards him, before Kenjirou's machine made a noise. A strange smell filled Takane's nose, and she blinked several times, onion tears in her eyes. She started gagging, and her pupils dilated.

"Haruka... I'm so sorry... Goodbye, Haruka... I... love you." Her breaths started to fade, and, in a few minutes, Takane lay dead, slumped on the floor, beside the bed that her first and last love, Haruka, lay in, his question unanswered, left to disappear. However, Takane's last words still hung in the air, staying around to watch, waiting for yesterday's sunset. Waiting as the sunset falls.


End file.
